Textured or textured vegetable protein (TVP), also known as textured soybean protein, is commonly known as vegetable protein or vegetarian meat. It is extruded from defatted soybean powder by imitating the tissue structure and nutritional components of meat, and its by-product is soybean oil. Vegetable protein is easy to cook, and its protein content is equivalent to that of real meat, but it does not contain fat, which is beneficial to health without losing the delicious feeling.

Textured plant protein TVP is mainly extracted from soybean, but it can also be obtained from cottonseed, wheat and oats, which is a combination of protein. It can be extruded into various shapes (lumps, chips, lumps, grains and ribbons) and sizes, and will experience thermal expansion at the discharge port. Degreased thermoplastic protein can be heated to150-200 C; And denatured into fiber, insoluble and porous, which can be soaked in liquid to absorb 3 times its own weight.

When the extruded protein mixture is extruded from the machine, it will suddenly become a fluffy and dry solid under the sudden drop of pressure. When 50% protein is dry, plant protein can be re-absorbed at the ratio of 2: 1, and in the process,16% protein will be lost, which is just close to real meat. High-quality tissue plant protein TVP can be mixed with meat at the ratio of 1:3 (hydrated TVP: meat) without reducing the final product. Its main use is as a substitute for meat, the price is only one-third or less than that of real meat, and it will not shrink and lose weight during cooking.

The equipment for producing and processing plant protein usually includes extruder, conditioner and dryer.